One of the slightly annoying design faults with the XP GMP, is the wobbly control box, they could have easily cured this back when these detectors first hit the fields, but they chose not too This surprises me somewhat, and makes me wonder what faults they are ignoring with their current detectors This is one of the reasons I have never bought a Deus.

Anyway, I am always on the look out for ways to "improve" ? my own collection of machines, even if only in a very small way. well today I spotted some cable tidy's in my local Wilkinson, so I bought a couple of bags as they were cheap...

They are soft rubber with a self adhesive pad on the back, and hold the cable coming from the control box, which takes away 90% of the wobble

Anyways, I have six going spare, three green, three pink, and if anybody would like one free, gratis, then drop me a PM with address, and I will post you one out at no cost. Even to France LB if you would like one.

I put one of those undoable cable ties around the ferrule on the cable, this pulls the control box up firmly and stops the wobbling, the box will also stay on the lugs if you drop the machine,irritating to say the least when it falls off in the field.

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Nice idea! Mine wobbles too and I find I end up compensating for it in ways which flare up my arthritis but are hard to describe in a few words.
I wouldn't buy a Deus either.
The GMP is excellent in many ways....but there are a few things that really spoil the party. The whole battery change scenario is a complete fiasco. (Put together having no warning until it starts yodelling at you in a field, and the needlessly cumbersome system)
In my view I don't think a Deus would improve substantially on the GMP where it matters: depth and recovery speed.
Hubby is struggling to get really into the GMP because he doesn't detect as much as me and its an intuitive machine that you have to work at. He doesn't use it enough to get used to the language. So we are selling his GMP and buying something else for him. Plus something as a second machine for me for when I want to o on the beach. (GMP, despite my best efforts, is pants on the beach)

Hello 'Bargeman' Your observation re the 'wobbly' control box on the XP Goldmax Power is well founded and it has been a concern of mine from the moment I purchased and assembled it! I negated the problem initially, by adapting it for chest mounting which has the advantage of further reducing the already meagre weight of the machine whilst ensuring full protection from the elements as it's worn inside my jacket.

Recently however, I reverted to mounting the control box on the stem via the very poorly designed 'Skate Wings' device beneath the arm-cup. In order to rectify the 'wobbly' movement, it's quite a simple job to effect a more rigid control box assembly.

My solution:- Firstly, assemble the machine with the coil cable running 'straight' up the lower shaft and support the cable with a couple of 'velcro' fasteners. The cable is then wound around the upper stem leaving sufficient 'slack' to make a 'D' shape immediately in front of the upper stem's pistol grip (my GMP has the Deus stem) this allows unrestricted 'hand-grip' access to it.

The remaining cable is then wound horizontally around the fixing point between the upper stem and the control box whilst ensuring the cable can be securely connected to the control box socket. At the point where the cable enters the control box, a 'cable tie' is used to secure it to the upper stem. The result is a very firmly fixed control box which ensures no wobble induced false signals.

They say 'a picture paints a thousand words' so I apologise for no photo but I haven't yet sorted a photo hosting site I'm not too keen on using PB!

I find the GMP to be an excellent machine and like yourself, have not (yet) been convinced to join the Deus following. All the best and Good Luck Regards ss47

One of the slightly annoying design faults with the XP GMP, is the wobbly control box, they could have easily cured this back when these detectors first hit the fields, but they chose not too This surprises me somewhat, and makes me wonder what faults they are ignoring with their current detectors This is one of the reasons I have never bought a Deus.

But the Deus has no wobbly bits and does not need any cable tidies either, so maybe the quality has actually improved?

When I bought my Deus, I sold my trusty GMP and immediately regretted doing so as its good to have a back up machine. The Deus has been very good for me, now looking a bit worn and battered but certainly no regrets. I bought an almost new GMP some time ago, complete with an array of various sized coils, Deus stem etc and this thread has convinced me its time to dust the GMP off, sort out some battery life and try it out. Using the knobs to adjust settings feels a lot better when roaming around a large field where soil conditions can change, the slightly heavier head can push through the stubble a bit easier and I think I can still remember my favourite settings!
Generous offer from Kevin, good tips as well and also some from others. I will be checking out what to do ..
Lovely day here in Norfolk, but DIY awaits for a few hours first ..happy hunting, Liam

Deus, WSi's - In the end we will regret the chances we didn't take, the relationships we were afraid to have and decisions we waited too long to make .. Spokesperson Irish Metal Detecting Society IMDS Vice President European Council for Metal Detecting

Well... that's spoilt the thread then hasn't it? What IS the purpose of that particular bit of house-keeping?
Hey ho...toodle-oo. Heavy handed moderation isn't my Bag. Especially if it is bloody Pointless.

Well... that's spoilt the thread then hasn't it? What IS the purpose of that particular bit of house-keeping?
Hey ho...toodle-oo. Heavy handed moderation isn't my Bag. Especially if it is bloody Pointless.

Sorry you feel that way littleboot but keeping a thread on topic is very important in a forum environment to make for a far more useful resource, it also gives every single brand of metal detector a fair crack of the whip! without biased replies creeping in

This topic is situated in the XP forum here and titled " XP GMP - Wobbly Control Box " so taking the topic off topic talking about purchasing the Makro racer is obviously not on topic within this forum.

not only did this not work as hoped, I lost the rubber farkle out in the field on Sunday, and have once again reverted to using a velcro strap to hold the control box stable.
BM

No harm done and without experimentation, we would never make advances!
The velcro strap is a fair solution but I favour the cable-tie because it offers a more secure fastening. (see pic in the post by 'Ten pence' Cheers and Regards ss47